"Get on." Zhou Yi tilted his head slightly and said.
Su Ning glanced at him cautiously, gripping her backpack straps tightly as she climbed onto the bicycle.
[Illustration]
Su Ning didn’t dare say a word while Zhou Yi was riding, simply staring blankly at the back of his head.
This boy—why was he so hard to figure out sometimes?
Su Ning had never been in a relationship before, so she was completely oblivious to Zhou Yi’s tactics and games.
Zhou Yi’s goal was simple: to break her pride and make her submit to him entirely.
Noticing Su Ning’s prolonged silence behind him, Zhou Yi spoke coolly, "Hold on to me."
This time, Su Ning hesitated. "I... I don’t dare."
"I’m going to speed up. You’ll fall off."
"It’s not like you’d care if I did," Su Ning muttered dejectedly, biting her lip.
A heavy sigh drifted back to her from the front, carrying a hint of unexpected gentleness in the wind. A flicker of hope reignited in her heart.
Maybe Zhou Yi wasn’t as cold-hearted as he seemed?
Zhou Yi kept one hand on the handlebars and reached back with the other, pulling Su Ning’s hands around his waist.
Silence spoke louder than words.
Sometimes, girls were just stubborn. If you took the initiative, they wouldn’t refuse.
Su Ning’s cheeks flushed as she bit her lip, her earlier sadness easing slightly.
Zhou Yi’s push-and-pull left Su Ning’s heart in turmoil—yet it only made her like him even more.
Sometimes, the more mysterious and enigmatic a man was, the more a girl wanted to get closer.
She wanted to glimpse his heart, to step by step enter his world.
For girls, this was far more alluring than a guy who was an open book.
Which was more captivating—a shallow stream or the enigmatic depths of the ocean?
Some girls might prefer straightforward guys because they were easy to control, but that also made them lose interest quickly. The novelty wore off fast.
If they made it past that bland phase, the relationship could stabilize and grow stronger over time.
But some girls would inevitably grow bored and choose to break up.
Whether in love or just flirting, it was all about exploring each other—like playing a game. Where was the fun if you cleared it in one go?
For Su Ning, she was undoubtedly drawn to the latter. She was mesmerized by Zhou Yi’s brilliance and that elusive aura around him—like the wind, impossible to grasp yet swirling around her heart.
There was an interesting topic among girls:
What kind of guy is the most popular at parties, karaoke, or drinking gatherings?
Three answers:
First, the handsome ones.
Second, the funny ones.
Third, the quiet ones.
(Oh, and maybe a fourth—the rich ones. But that only worked on gold-diggers.)
Let’s start with the first. Some good-looking guys ruined their charm the moment they opened their mouths. Being aware of your own attractiveness was dangerous—every gesture screamed, I know I’m hot.
That left girls with an impression of shallowness and cringe. Even if he was handsome, he’d only attract superficial admirers. Initial attraction would skyrocket, only to plummet later.
Funny guys were universally liked. They didn’t even need to be good-looking—they were the life of the party, the ones girls loved chatting with.
But comedians usually ended up in one of two situations:
Either they dated stunning beauties...
Or they got friend-zoned into the "brother" category—because they lacked that captivating vibe.
(Of course, if you were both handsome and funny, forget what I just said.)
The third type was the most discussed—and the one who got asked for his number the most.
The quiet ones.
A handsome guy who barely spoke at a party would inevitably draw more attention.
Because mystery sparked curiosity. It gave girls room to imagine.
The less they knew, the more they wondered—that was the allure of the unknown, fueling their fantasies.
Sometimes, before he even spoke, a whole romantic drama had already played out in her head. (Slight exaggeration.)
In recent years, girls either went for cute "puppy-like" guys or cold, aloof heartthrobs. The latter fit the image of the untouchable male lead from romance novels, so girls would project all kinds of fantasies onto him before even exchanging a word—guessing his personality, his story.
Sometimes, the colder he was, the more she liked him.
Just like how "cuteness is no match for sexiness," a sweet puppy paled in comparison to an enigmatic, untouchable god.
And that was exactly how Zhou Yi had Su Ning wrapped around his finger.
She had always been adored, never knowing hardship. Too many people chased after her—so a little indifference was the right move.
Zhou Yi took her to a milk tea shop.
"Let me carry that for you."
When they got off the bike, he took Su Ning’s backpack without hesitation, leaving her stunned.
First, he rejected her—then he treated her so tenderly. Her heart was in chaos again.
The shop looked more like a café than a typical milk tea place, with its elegant decor.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Anything. I don’t really drink milk tea much."
Zhou Yi nodded and ordered two coffees.
"I thought all girls loved milk tea."
"That’s a stereotype. I thought guys didn’t tear up love letters, either."
Su Ning was clearly still hurt by that incident.
Zhou Yi suddenly smirked.
"And I thought girls didn’t hit people. Yet you slapped me right at the start."
Su Ning opened her mouth but quickly realized she was in the wrong.
"I know I messed up. I’ve regretted it ever since. If you’re still angry, you can hit me back."
"I don’t hit women. What kind of man would that make me?"
Su Ning blinked, resting her chin on her hand as she tilted her head. "Aren’t you curious what I wrote in that letter?"
Zhou Yi shook his head. "Knowing might not be good for me. I don’t want you messing with my head again."
Su Ning smiled, pleased. "You’re scared."
"You’re scared you might like me—which means you can’t even be sure you don’t like me anymore."
Zhou Yi raised a brow but didn’t respond. He didn’t deny it either.
That was the beauty of playing games—if he never said it outright, it didn’t count. Whatever she inferred was her own problem.
No matter what she felt, it was all in her head. What did it have to do with him?
Silence was a move that let him advance or retreat as he pleased.
And his silence made Su Ning happy.
She saw Zhou Yi as someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
[Su Ning’s Affection +5]
Su Ning pressed on, "So... do you like anyone right now?"
Zhou Yi nodded. "Yeah."
Her expression visibly dimmed.
"Do I know her?"
"No."
"What’s she like? I want to know what kind of girl you like."
"She’s... gentle."
Zhou Yi kept it vague, crushing the hope that had just sparked in Su Ning’s heart.
Today had been a rollercoaster of emotions for her. By now, her mood had finally settled into something calmer.
At least for now, she could calmly accept the fact that Zhou Yi no longer liked her.
As for the person Zhou Yi claimed to like—that might not even be true. What if he was deliberately lying to her?
Sometimes, a woman’s capacity for self-deception isn’t much worse than a man’s.
Just then, Zhou Yi’s phone rang.
"Hello, Ruo Lan."
"President Zhou, do you have a moment? I’d like to discuss the recent project investments with you."
"How about we meet for coffee? It’s hard to explain everything over the phone."
"Don’t you have class today, President Zhou?"
"No, I’m having coffee with a friend. I’ll send you the location."
"Alright, I’ll bring the documents with me. Give me ten minutes."
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
